Summer Dream 2006

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What a day; wet, boring and hot, in that order. Mack City morning streets ran to the curbs with water as if Lake Huron had overflowed. A too leisurely breakfast had the maid chasing me out of the room. Donning yellow oil cloth, like the mariners of old, a quick tour of the Old Mackinaw Lighthouse before heading on. I love the colorful and rich history of the Great Lakes, the lighthouses, the ore carriers, the shipwrecks (sadly). Lighthouses are endearing to me, beacons of hope in a dark and stormy sea. My love of them will grow from this.

Leaving town on the interstate Lil’ Joe was sacked out in the sidecar – forgot his rain gear he says with a grin. The rain had stopped and so did we at the next rest stop on “75” to shed the baggage. No sooner was the rain gear packed in the bike than a gully washer hit. Back into the baggie and off we went, for another hour driving in the rain, ‘occasionally heavy at times’ as they say on TV. Freeways everywhere are boring, painted with a #70 brush in simple green. Michigan is no exception; motorcycle trips are intended for country roads, rural America.

Farther south lead to clear skies and high humidity. Today’s title is 90 degrees and 90 percent in case you didn’t guess. The GPS wizard led old Blue directly to Jean Boesler’s door… and no one was home. Figuring she was at work although I thought she retired, I settled down under a tree to wait. Some neighborhood security; no one asked what a big bike was doing parked on her sidewalk. Unfortunately I left at six with a note on her door, remembering vaguely that she might be off on a vacation trip.

I passed the 45th parallel, same as Salem, OR. And the Michigan farms and fields look just like Oregon a mirror image. The wheels wound southeast to Saginaw. My dad grew up here and graduated from UofM. I needed to touch the soil. So hot, so humid, even the monkey was wet. It’s great in the room now, this Super 8 oasis.

Tomorrow it’s a day with my dear cousins. I’m ecstatic. And now off for pizza. The monkey hasn’t eaten for nine hours.